Heavy equipment used for earth moving and excavation must withstand abuse and abrasive working conditions. Such equipment incorporates a shovel or bucket and the bucket usually has a plurality of teeth on the leading edge of the bucket.
It is a common experience that such teeth become broken and must be replaced. In some cases the teeth are secured simply by a frictional fit, and may become loose and lost. In addition, the teeth are subjected to a very high rate of wear, and must be replaced at intervals even though they have not been broken or lost. A variety of different systems have been proposed for attaching such teeth to the bucket, which renders the teeth removable and replaceable. In one particularly useful system, abutments are secured permanently to the leading edge of the bucket. Tooth mounting members are releasably secured to the abutments, and the actual teeth are frictionally secured on the tooth mounting members. This system is useful in that it permits the teeth to be replaced, when lost or damaged, and in addition permits the tooth mounting members to be removed to facilitate changing the teeth and can be replaced as needed.
In addition, it is useful because it is possible to retrofit existing equipment such as shovels and excavators, by first of all securing the abutments to the existing shovel, and then using those abutments to secure tooth mounting members, and teeth on the tooth mounting members.
However, in such systems, some means must be provided for securing the tooth mounting member to the shovel abutment, in such a way that it is secure for use but is none the less rendered capable of being released and removed for replacement.
In the past, these systems have relied on some form of wedge device, and cooperating openings and surfaces in the tooth mounting member and the abutment. The wedge was simply hammered into place. Removing the wedge was tiresome and time consuming.